The Viral Vector Laboratory was established to facilitate the development of recombinant viral vectors for use in basic and clinical applications. The Viral Vector Laboratory is a shared resource which serves the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center members. The laboratory serves as a means of focusing, coordinating and directing efforts of basic and clinical scientists to promote interactive research and provide training to both clinical fellows and researchers interested in using recombinant viral vectors. These vectors provide a broad spectrum of uses in both basic and clinical sciences in allowing both the transient and long term expression of almost any gene in specific tissues either in culture or in vivo. The Viral Vector Laboratory provides four levels of service: These include: -> Resource Center for plasmids, cell lines, analytical reagents, recombinant viruses and protocols that are used to prepare and characterize recombinant eukaryotic viruses. -> Pilot projects: the Center has available recombinant viral stocks that express various reporter genes that can be quickly applied to the tissue of interest to assess feasibility. -> Training researchers in the propagation and safe handling of recombinant adenoviruses and retroviruses. -> De novo construction and characterization of new recombinant viruses based on retroviruses or adenovirus.